Policies

A full refund of any deposits paid will be made if your booking is cancelled more than 90 days out from the booking start date.

Please note well that Christmas and peak season booking fees are non-refundable. The value of the booking fee will be deducted from any deposit monies refunded to the guest per the cancellation schedule below.

If a cancellation is made within 90 days of your booking start date, the following cancellation schedule applies. Wherever possible, we recommend postponing your booking instead.

Date of cancellation made

90 days or less – 15% of the total cost

60 days or less– 30% of the total cost

30 days or less – 50% of the total cost

21 days or less – 75% of the total cost

14 days or less – 100% of the total cost

NOTE: % refers to PAYMENT FORFEITABLE

NB For all stays during peak season periods including Christmas, New Year and NSW school holidays, cancellations must be made more than 30 days from the booking start date, and postponement is not possible.

We recommend securing cancellation travel insurance in case of an unforeseen event.

For self-catering stays only, if we are able to rebook the cancelled dates successfully, we will provide a full refund, less a $220 administration fee. If you are cancelling a package, please contact us directly for more information.

Postponement or date changes

Should requirements change or life intervene, and you need to change the date of your booking to an alternative date either prior to or after the original booking, we are happy to transfer the balance of any deposits paid to alternative dates within the next 12 months from the date of the request, subject to availability, and payment of a $110 administration fee. NB: We will only accept one postponement request from the date of the original booking, before the cancellation policy terms & costs outlined above would apply, and the request must be made more than 30 days prior to the original booking check in date to avoid incurring charges under the cancellation policy. Postponement is not possible for bookings during peak season periods including Christmas, New Year and NSW school holiday periods.

COVID 19 – Special Conditions

If isolation requirements or coronavirus travel restrictions are in place to prevent travel, in certain circumstances we can offer a postponement of your booking for up to 12 months after your request. Please be aware that substantiation of Covid-related postponement reasons may be requested by management, such as a medical certificate or proof of isolation requirements, or proof of travel restrictions. If a postponement is not suitable we will review each booking on a case-by-case basis.

We do not accept bookings that commence on a Saturday or Sunday, or Monday if a public holiday long weekend.

We will make every effort to ensure the property is available as booked. However we reserve the right to make alterations to bookings due to unforeseen circumstances such as force majeure.

The guest must acknowledge that due to the location of the property, being in a remote water-access only area surrounded by national park, interruptions to mains utilities such as water or power while rare may occur. Check-out time at the latest is by 10am unless a later check out time has been agreed in writing at time of booking. Pets are not allowed unless specific arrangements have been made in writing prior to commencement of stay. Pets are permitted on an outdoor only basis where approved by the owners of the property at time of booking, and a pet bond may also apply. Swimming from the property’s frontage and use of the runabout boat, kayaks, and fishing equipment provided is at the guests own risk, and the guest coordinating the booking (booking coordinator) is liable for any damages caused during operation.

We strongly advise guests take out travel insurance with water activities coverage to protect themselves against unexpected changes to their travel plans, for the risk of damage to property, or injury to themselves and/or third parties. Any variations to the terms and conditions must be requested in writing and agreed to by management before the commencement of the rental period at Calabash Bay Lodge. The booking coordinator must educate all guests staying at Calabash Bay Lodge as to these terms and conditions of rental, uphold and enforce these terms and conditions at all times during the rental period and will be liable for the actions of any guests in their group that cause breakage, damages or excess cleaning or rubbish removal requirements.

A security bond is payable to cover any additional costs incurred, including but not limited to, any breakage, damages or excess cleaning or rubbish removal requirements. On departure, the property should be left in a similar state to its condition on arrival. We include final cleaning in all rates, however, we expect the property to be tidied and left in a presentable condition as you would in your own home. As Berowra Waters has no waste services being on a river in national park, we appreciate your assistance in taking as much waste and recycling as possible from the Lodge on your checkout transfer and disposing of this at the facilities adjacent the carpark.

We require the guest to provide credit card details for the security bond. We accept VISA, Mastercard and American Express cards. Please note well that Debit VISA and Debit MasterCards are not accepted for the security bond. The security bond required is $3000.

The security bond will be returned in full subject to the terms and conditions of rental being met satisfactorily. In the event that we have to draw upon the security bond for any reason, the full value of the bond will be charged to the credit card. If the repair cost is less, the difference will be refunded as soon as practicable.

Calabash Bay Lodge accepts children without restriction and is family friendly. Two additional infants (up to 12 months of age) can be accommodated on the property in addition to the normal maximum of 8 guests subject to request in writing and approval by management. Two cots and a highchair are available at the property for your use upon request.

Under no circumstances are more than 8 guests allowed on the premises at any one time, with the exception of approved day visitors (see below). Under no circumstances are any additional guests beyond the number confirmed at time of booking permitted on the property, unless subsequently agreed in writing prior to commencement. This will be strictly enforced. Contravening this condition may result in immediate termination of the rental and/or loss of bond.

Subject to request in writing and approval by management, in certain circumstances we may agree for day visitors to visit guests staying at the property. No more than 10 persons may be on the property at any one time. The same terms and conditions apply to day visitors as to guests staying overnight at the property. Where we agree prior to the commencement of your stay that visitors may visit guests at the property during the rental period, guests must acknowledge that additional fees may be deducted from the security bond to cover any extra incidental costs including but not limited to extra cleaning, garbage removal and additional wear and tear.

Parties and Functions are strictly prohibited at all times. Use contrary to this may result in immediate termination of the rental, loss of security bond, and the guest will forfeit any claim to refund of monies for rental paid prior to commencement. Excessive noise, particularly loud music and voices in the outdoor areas, that is in violation of NSW noise pollution law is strictly prohibited and may result in termination of rental and loss of bond.

We do not take responsibility for any theft or loss that may occur during your stay. We strongly advise guests take out travel insurance to protect themselves against theft or loss of personal items.

We provide use of a runabout boat as part of our rates, which seats up to 5 persons maximum (this is the largest possible boat size we can offer to unlicensed drivers). As part of our check-in procedure, you'll receive a briefing on safe operation. At the end of the briefing you will be given a boat use agreement, where you will acknowledge receipt of the safety briefing and that use of the boat is at your own risk. Lifejackets, including for children, mandatory safety equipment, and a full tank of fuel is provided.

NB The boat can only be used during daylight hours, so that needs to be taken into consideration if you have any late arriving guests you may like to collect yourself on the day of arrival. In that scenario, an additional boat transfer will need to be booked in advance of your stay.

We strongly advise guests take out travel insurance with water activities coverage to protect themselves against the risk of damage to property, or injury to themselves and/or third parties.

Calabash Bay Lodge is a non-smoking property. We appreciate your understanding.